Obama, in Speech, Presses His Case on Syria

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama took his case for military action against Syria directly to the American people Tuesday, adding that recent diplomatic developments could help solve a standoff over the nation's alleged use of chemical weapons.

The president, in a prime-time address from the White House, continued to build his case for military action. He said not punishing the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for allegedly using chemical weapons would embolden other tyrants to use such weapons and could potentially put U.S. troops in danger in the future.

But Mr. Obama also said the recent diplomatic efforts were reason to pause with military plans, and he said he had asked Congress to put off voting on military strikes against Syria. The developments, which came through Russia creating a path to talks about getting chemical weapons out of Syria, gives the president some relief from the difficult task of convincing a skeptical Congress, where the administration has struggled to build support for a strike.